Hydroscope

ABSTRACT

A device for viewing underwater objects, comprising a buoyant housing, a transparent sleeve extending through the housing and a pair of mirrors are adjustable parallel to one another in the top and bottom portions of the sleeve respectively. The bottom portion of the tube and part of the housing are adapted to be immersed in a body of water such as the sea, a river or lake. A slot is provided in the housing for viewing the underwater image shown on the upper mirror. The housing is formed with a chamber for ballast, such as sand, rocks and the like. The lower mirror may also be provided on its periphery with illuminating lights for better viewing.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Raymond Doret; 2,971,080 2/1961Boughton 240/2 M-2 Michel Doret, both of 65-84 Booth St., 2,985,7495/1961 Johnson 240/2. 1 8

Forest Hills,N.Y 11374 3,172,344 3/1965 Jackson. H 95/11 HC [21] Appl.Nov 757,830 [22] Filed Sept. 6, 1968 [45] Patented July 27, 1971 [54]HYDROSCOPE [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,907,314 5/1933Baer.... 240/2.18 2,968,208 1/1961 Shaw 350/52 Primary ExaminerSamuel S.Matthews Assistant ExaminerEdna M. Bero An0rney.lacob L. KollinABSTRACT: A device for viewing underwater objects, comprising a buoyanthousing, a transparent sleeve extending through the housing and a pairof mirrors are adjustable parallel to one another in the top and bottomportions of the sleeve respectively. The bottom portion of the tube andpart of the housing are adapted to be immersed in a body of water suchas the sea, a river or lake. A slot is provided in the housing forviewing the underwater image shown on the upper mirror. The housing isformed with a chamber for ballast, such as sand, rocks and the like. Thelower mirror may also be provided on its periphery with illuminatinglights for better viewing.

PATENTED JUL2 7 Mi ATTORNEY HYDROSCOPE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention relates to periscopes in general and in particular toa hydroscope or a device which will facilitate vision under water.

Observation of the flora and fauna in sea, rivers or lakes etc., is animportant part of aquatic activity. For years necessity and sometimessheer curiosity has taken men into the marine depths, whether seekingsunken treasure or studying algae and fish morphology. Mensinventiveness discovered helpful apparatus such as the divers helmet,the diving bell, and, more recently, glass-bottom boats and the snorkeland mask, all very practical and efficient within their limits.

Unfortunately, most of these devices were designed to be used in verydeep water where the user is more likely to be exposed to danger; veryoften surface air pumps or individual compressed air bottles have to beused. Consequently, many persons are discouraged from making use ofthem, with the result that much of the beauty of the ocean depthsremains unseen. As far as the diving helmet is concerned, it is heavy tocarry or wear on land, and the cost places it outside the reach of manyof those brave enough to use it. The diving bell requires not onlyenormous funds but also extensive scientific knowledge. The glass-bottomboat is not designed to be used individually and also presupposes theavailability of large funds. The snorkel and mask force the observer tomaintain an uncomfortable position and to breathe through a tube withthe resultant discomfort to his mouth and the necessity to surfacefrequently.

Because of the aforementioned difficulties, it is frequently necessaryfor a boat to be taken ashore for hull inspection and, for wharfinspection and upkeep, special skin divers must often be used. In wartime, frogmen have to battle the ocean depths in the search forunderwater mines and other obstacles. Underwater radar has to be usedextensively in many cases. For underwater photography very expensiveequipment is needed to keep the cameras dry. It is highly desirable thatall these different activities should be carried out from above thewater without the use of diving equipment. At a time when psychologistsare seeking to divert the attention of children from the use of toyguns, peaceful and more instructive activities are needed. Thehydroscope can fill this need in the form of a toy.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a hydroscopewhich does away with the above mentioned deficiencies and is adapted forobservation of underwater areas.

Another object of the invention is to render easier the saving of thelives of drowning persons.

A further object of the invention is to facilitate scientific study ofthe wealth of aquatic life.

Still another object .of the invention is to provide the aestheticexperience of observing the kaleidoscopic effects of the underside ofthe waves.

in other words, the hydroscope permits observation of any object underwater, in ocean, river, lake, swimming pool or any volume of water,without obliging the person to dive under water and without making useof other equipment such as the diving helmet, diving bell, glass-bottomboat or snorkel and mask and their respective disadvantages. Anotherobject of the invention is to put at the disposal of the average persona piece of equipment, modest in price, simple in upkeep and easilytransported to the location of use.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved with thehydroscope by providing a lower viewing system, synchronized with anupper viewing system through a transparent medium which flattens thewaves.

An observer in or above water should be able, by looking through thehydroscope, to have a view of an underwater area whose dimensions varywith the circumstances: place, posi' tion, lighting, construction, etc.Illumination can be provided by any proper illumination system,including floodlights, in-

frared light, etc., to either increase the viewable area or to providefor use in darkness, murky or dirty liquid or many other compositemedia. Magnifying devices, such as lenses,

, mirrors, prisms, etc., to increase facilities of observation, likesharpness of the image, viewing distance, etc., can be mounted on thehydroscope.

The upper viewing system may consist of any object which properly servesthe purpose, e.g. mirror, prism, steel, etc. The transparent medium atintermediary level may consist of any material sufficiently transparentto allow the light waves to pass without excessive hindrance, forinstance, glass, plastic, etc.

' The lower viewing system may be either of the same composition as thetop upper one or any material which suits the purpose-mirror, prism,steel, etc.

The housing and frame may be of any material light enough not to sink,such as plastic, paper mache, aluminum, cork, rubber, wood, etc., or anycombination of these. (if the skeleton and body are too heavy to float,provision may be made for the hydroscope to float.)

An additional device controls the level of immersion of the hydroscope.This system may provide for the hydroscope to be only partly underwaterand may consist of suitable ballast, such as sand, lead, rocks, gas,etc.

If the weight of any one of the constituents or the sum of then (withoutballast) would allow the hydroscope to sink under its own weight, theimmersion level device would permit the hydroscope to remain at thedesired level by the use of gases, cork, plastic, etc., or anycombination of these.

The housing and frame may have any shape which will suit the purpose. ltmay be spherical, ovoid, cubic, prismoid, cylindrical, pyramidal, etc.,or any combination of these. Any part of the system may adopt any one ofthese shapes. Dimensions may vary according to the circumstances such asplace of use, position, lighting, construction, usage, purpose, etc. Amaterial of dark color or producing darkness may best suit the purpose,helping to provide sharpness of the images.

The top and bottom viewing systems should be synchronized to provide fora better image. This synchronization may be provided by a possiblealteration of the angle of viewing mirrors or prism, etc., withretaining nuts, screws, etc. Moreover, the area covered by the lowerviewing system may be variable and permit one to see the undersurface ofthe water, or, if in the sea, the undulation of the bottom of the waves.This alteration could be possible by any means, one of them being themodification of the angle of the lower mirror in relation with theupper. This would be the same for the top viewing mirror in relation tothe bottom.

The hydroscope may be used in any sufficiently large volume of water,such as ocean, river, lakes, swimming pools, etc., to look at flora andfauna or the undulation of the bottom of the waves. It can also be usedfor wharf or underwater construction maintenance, for fishing, salvagework and for life saving. It may be used directly in the water. it canbe mounted on boats, aquaplanes, etc. It may be used by frogmen. It maybe used for scientific, military, instructive purposes or as a toy, orany underwater filming and photography may be possible either directlyor by mounting suitable equipment on the hydroscope.

These and other important objects of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying drawing:

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the device,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view thereof, partly in section, and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of the adjusting means for the mirrors ofthe device.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the device, indicated generallyby the numeral 10, comprises an upper housing part 12 provided with acarrying handle 11 and an inclined peripheral wall 13. Housing parts areformed of flexible plastic. Secured to the upper housing part 12, in amanner to be described below, is a lower housing part 14 in which ismounted a tube 16 having a lower substantially semicylindrical portion38 and an upper cylindrical portion 36. An upper mirror 18 enclosed in aframe 41, to which are secured, on opposite sides, threaded shafts 45held in place by setscrews 43,

is pivotably mounted in a pair of bushings 42 having flanges 44, oneither side of the wall, and made watertight by means of rubber orplastic seals 46. These, together with adjusting knob 48, threadedlyengaged with the free ends of shafts 45, comprise an adjusting means 22.

The mirror 40 can thus be adjusted to any angle by loosening the knob48, pivoting the mirror to the desired position and tightening thebushings 44 and seals 46 by means of said knob 48. I

A lower mirror 20 is pivotably secured in the substantiallysemicylindrical lower portion 38 of the tube 16 in the same manner asthe upper mirror 40, the adjusting mechanism 22' being similar to theadjusting mechanism 22. Both mirrors can thus be adjusted in parallelrelation to one another.

The upper part of tube 36 extends through an opening in the bottom ofthe lower housing part 14 and is made watertight with said bottom partby means of a gasket 29 and flange 34, appropriately secured by awaterproof adhesive (not shown), so that the bottom of the housing ismade watertight. The upper portion of tube 36 is further provided with asnap ring groove 37 and a snap ring 37', by means of which a transparentplastic or glass disc 35 is held in place. The reflection of an imageappearing on the lower mirror 20 can thus pass unobstructed to the uppermirror 18. v

The upper housing part 12 is formed with a peripheral beaded flangewhich snaps into the peripheral groove 30, due to the elasticity of theplastic material from which both parts of the housing are formed. Acircular gasket 27 is provided between the flange 26 and the edge of thelower housing portion, to form a watertight seal therebetween.'

An observation window 24 made of a transparent plastic material issecured by means of a waterproof adhesive in the upper part 12 of thehousing. The entire housing is thus made waterproof, so that undulationsof the water and consequent tilting of the device will not result in itssinking.

A chamber 50 is formed between the wall of the upper part 36 of the tubeand the wall of the lower housing part 32. This chamber is filled to adesired level with sand, pebbles, etc., at the site of observation, thusproviding stability to said device. After use, the ballast may bediscarded by separating the upper and lower housing parts.

The device may be provided with illuminating means for observation indarkness. For this purpose lamps 51 and 52,

shown in dotted lines, may be peripherally secured to the mirror 20 anda self-contained battery power source 53, controlled by a switch 54connected to said lamps in known manner, provided. Furthermore, thesemicylindrical lower portion of the tube 16, may be made of any desiredlength, as indicated in dotted lines and by the numeral 16'.

The operation of the device is extremely simple. The mirrors areadjusted parallelly to a desired angle, the housing is filled with theballast, as described above, and the device is floated in the water.Observation is made by viewing the mirror 18 through window 24, as shownin' FIG. 2. Holes 39 may be provided to prevent the formation of an airpocket.

It should be understood that various changes in detail construction ofthe device may be made and that the latter is not limited to thedescribed embodiment, but encompasses various modifications thereofwithin the scope of said invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A hydroscope comprising a floatable housing, an upper mirror securedat an angle in said housing, said housing having a transparent bottomportion, a lower mirror, means securing said lower mirror below saidbottom portion in parallel relationship with said upper mirror and awindow in said housing for viewing an underwater object reflected bysaid lower mirror upon said upper mirror, said housing consisting of anupper housing (part and a lower housing part, both said parts bemgprovide with means for securing them together in v watertight manner,means in said upper housing for adjusting the upper mirror at an angleand means for adjusting said lower mirror at an angle relative to saidupper mirror, said means securing said lower mirror being a tube havinga cylindrical upper portion and a substantially semicylindrical lowerportion, said lower mirror being secured to said lower semicylindricallower portion, said upper cylindrical portion extending into said lowerhousing part and forming with the wall of said lower housing part achamber for ballast therebetween, said adjusting means consisting of apair of shafts secured to opposite ends of each of said mirrors, andwatertight bushing means and a knob secured to the free end of each ofsaid shafts.

2. A hydroscope as set forth in claim 1, further provided with aplurality of lamps and reflectors secured about the periphery of saidlower mirror, for illuminating a subject under condition of darkness anda power source for said lamps mounted in said housing.

3. A hydroscope as set forth in claim 2, further provided with acarrying handle secured to said upper housing portion.

1. A hydroscope comprising a floatable housing, an upper mirror securedat an angle in said housing, said housing having a transparent bottomportion, a lower mirror, means securing said lower mirror below saidbottom portion in parallel relationship with said upper mirror and awindow in said housing for viewing an underwater object reflected bysaid lower mirror upon said upper mirror, said housing consisting of anupper housing part and a lower housing part, both said parts beingprovided with means for securing them together in watertight manner,means in said upper housing for adjusting the upper mirror at an angleand means for adjusting said lower mirror at an angle relative to saidupper mirror, said means securing said lower mirror being a tube havinga cylindrical upper portion and a substantially semicylindrical lowerportion, said lower mirror being secured to said lower semicylindricallower portion, said upper cylindrical portion extending into said lowerhousing part and forming with the wall of said lower housing part achamber for ballast therebetween, said adjusting means consisting of apair of shafts secured to opposite ends of each of said mirrors, andwatertight bushing means and a knob secured to the free end of each ofsaid shafts.
 2. A hydroscope as set forth in claim 1, further providedwith a plurality of lamps and reflectors secured about the periphery ofsaid lower mirror, for illuminating a subject under condition ofdarkness and a power source for said lamps mounted in said housing.
 3. Ahydroscope as set forth in claim 2, further provided with a carryinghandle secured to said upper housing portion.